In Omnia Paratus

Monthly Archives: September 2015

After resting up in Fiji, it was time to pack in some action. Travel buddy Valerie and I were ready to hit the open roads of New Zealand after spending a week doing absolutely nothing on the island of Viti Levu in Fiji. A girl can only read in a hammock on the beach for so long, am I right?

Fully rested and ready to explore, we set out mid-morning for our long trip to Wellington where we would get our Kiwi legs before the big road trip.

We hailed a taxi from the hostel to the airport, as we learned upon arrival even Google Maps were on Fiji time down there, we bid a quick goodbye to paradise.

The flight from Los Angeles to Nadi to Auckland went wonderfully due, in full, to flying with Fiji Airways. On par with Hawaiian Airlines, the vacation truly begins as soon as check-in begins.

However, arriving in Auckland to take the Naked Bus sleeper bus to Wellington was the complete opposite experience.

It all started with an equivocal email stating the bus would be arriving an hour late, Valerie and I essentially squatted at the nearby McDonalds before heading to the bus stop an hour early to wait in the freezing rain in fear of missing the bus.

Upon arrived, it was a completely different company that picked us up (Mana Bus), where I tried to explain to the bus driver what we booked (this is definitely NOT a sleeper bus, as I took one on my first trip to New Zealand) and he responded with a curt “This is the only bus to Wellington. Either get on or you’re not going to Wellington tonight.”

So we ended sleeping, or trying to get comfortable for eight hours with our eyes closed to be more accurate, in a normal bus.

The good news is that we actually made it to Wellington (almost) on schedule with four glorious days in my favorite New Zealand city.